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| Product Name | Pearson LearningStudio |
|---|---|
| Developer Name | Pearson LearningStudio |
| URL | http://www.pearsoncustom.com/pearson-learning-studio/ |
| Review Date | March 25, 2010 |
| Forums | Pearson LearningStudio Discussions |
| Reviewer | Email Review Staff |
| Communication Tools | |
| Discussion Forum |
Instructors can: enable or disable editing of threaded discussion posts by students, email directly from the threaded discussion and set threaded discussions to read only. Students can email directly from the threaded discussion. All users can post, cancel or preview a threaded discussion posting. All topics title show at the top of the main threaded discussion page. Date and time stamp will display in the time zone of the current viewer. All threaded discussions are archived in perpetuity for admin or faculty access after a course is complete Discuss |
| Discussion Management |
Threaded discussions use a visual editor which allows for any content element to be added including website URLs, graphics, flash animations, text, etc. Threaded discussions can be assigned to small groups for a separate discussion environment. Instructors can set date and time limits on threaded discussions as well as lock the threaded discussion so the thread can be viewed but no students can respond. Threaded discussions are integrated directly with gradebook, allowing faculty to view all student postings and post a grade in one location. Threaded discussions can be added into the content flow of the course; therefore; making them part of the sequential nature of the course content. Discuss |
| File Exchange |
The dropbox feature is the location for electronic repository for content/assignments/file exchange. The dropbox allows instructors to setup a basket for each assignment. The dropbox can be viewed by individual baskets, by student or entire inbox (all baskets). Faculty can send an email, download and upload attachments, move submissions to another basket or view all students who have not made any submissions. Dropbox baskets can be created independently or in association with the creation of a content item. Dropbox accepts many file types including .html, .swf, .mov, doc, .jpg, etc. Faculty can review and grade submissions, enter comments and upload files back to the student for review. Dropbox is integrated directly with gradebook allowing all grades to be displayed automatically in the gradebook. Virus detection technology also is used throughout the file upload/download process. Discuss |
| Internal Email |
Faculty can use the email feature to send message and files to one student, a group of students or to the entire class. Students can use email to collaborate with other class members and/or communicate with faculty. All users can add multiple attachments to an email. A confirmation page displays to the user sending the email showing a confirmation page that lists who the email was sent and whether it was successful. Discuss |
| Online Journal/Notes |
Students use the Journal to make notes or record thoughts. The Journal is fully integrated with the gradebook allowing faculty to use the Journal as an assignment. Students can share their entries with the instructor or keep them private. The Journal has a cross platform/browser visual editor for both students and faculty when composing an entry. Journal entries can include .html tags to enhance style. Discuss |
| Real-time Chat |
The Chat tool supports group rooms, private rooms and private messages. It provides the ability to ignore specific participants and uses various color schemes to identify each participant. These color schemes and profile options are determined by the each user. Chat is integrated with the gradebook and is Section 508 compliant. Discuss |
| Whiteboard |
Faculty have full control of the whiteboard and can see which student has posted, drawn, typed or created any element at any time. Faculty can allow participants to moderate, chat, offer audio, etc. Faculty can move or remove from the whiteboard at any time. Two-way voice over the internet (VoIP) is also supported. The whiteboard system supports remote control so faculty can give control of applications or desktop to others, enabling hands-on support and training. Discuss |
| Productivity Tools | |
| Bookmarks |
Discuss |
| Calendar/Progress Review |
Students can track which course elements they have participated in by in the Course Checklist. The Course Checklist provides access to the list of course activities with check-boxes attached as well as lists of any due dates for their items. The course scheduler functions as the centralized scheduling for start and end dates of course content and activities. All course content and activities dates can be set from one page. Discuss |
| Searching Within Course |
Both chat and virtual classroom sessions are automatically archived for future viewing. Faculty posting to a threaded discussion will have a specific distinction by having a prefix (i.e. Professor)next to the instructor name and will be displayed in both bold and green. If a threaded discussion is unread, the contracted listing will be displayed in bold and with a closed envelope icon next to it. Discuss |
| Work Offline/Synchronize |
Discuss |
| Orientation/Help |
The Help Desk supports faculty, students and eCollege administrators, ensuring that someone will always be there to offer user support. The help desk is available 24/7/365 allowing users to receive help after school hours, weekends and holidays. All students are automatically enrolled in a Student Orientation course, which walks them through all courseware and provides tips on taking an online course. Likewise, instructors are enrolled the Instructional Design Tutorial which is a self-directed tutorial which provides them with and overview of the tools, instructional design, and course development guidance. Both faculty and students have an online help manual written specifically for the user. This is accessible from every page in the LMS. Opens context-sensitive help for the specific task users want to accomplish and links out to the eCollege Help Desk if the answers that a user is looking for is not provided. A Browser Test provides guidance to users on minimum hardware and system requirements; found on the login page of your online campus. For users who need assistance with login id and password, an ID/Password Reminder is available. Discuss |
| Student Involvement Tools | |
| Groupwork |
Group Manager automatically generates an email alias, private chat room and document sharing area for each group. All course content, such as group projects, threaded discussions, etc. can be assigned to a specific group at any time. Discuss |
| Community Networking |
Chatrooms enable faculty and students to communicate in real time meaning supporting unlimited simultaneous group discussions. The chat tool provides the ability to participate in multiple chats at the same time within a course or across multiple courses. The Chatroom(s) can remain open while students and faculty work in other areas of the course. Discuss |
| Student Portfolios |
eCollege has formed a partnership to integrate Foliotek within the eCollege system. The online portfolio solution enables institutions to define portfolio templates and align those templates to desired learning outcomes. Students align digital files from their personal storage repository to the defined templates and use convenient communication tools to reflect on their learning and personal development. Students also can share their personal portfolio, either internally to constituencies within the institution, such as career counselors, advisors or classmates, or externally with potential employers and other interested parties. Specific schools or programs can assign and create ePortfolios to students within that program. These assessment portfolios can be tied to standards or outcomes and defined by administration or faculty. Students can also create a personal portfolio that may house materials relevant to employment, licensing boards, etc. Additionally, the portfolio tool allows faculty to assess student work, provides students with the ability to upload a repository of personal files, and gives students the capacity to grant "access" to any person for any amount of time. The portfolio can be taken with the student after graduation, if desired. Discuss |
| Administration Tools | |
| Authentication |
With eCollege’s hosted solution there are no servers or software applications to buy or deploy. All the hardware, software, networking and archiving capabilities needed are provided. The APIs allow eCollege modules to integrate seamlessly with each other. The CMS also supports back office systems, leverages licensed content and integrates with additional third-party applications. Discuss |
| Course Authorization |
Which course tools display in the eCollege system can be controlled by utilizing the integrated system of roles and permissions. Each role contains a collection of rights. Rights are usually granular to the course feature level (threads, Dropbox and so on) and can be set up to allow visibility, participation, administration or no access. Roles can be assigned to users at a campus or course level. The course developer can turn on or off any course tool in a course at any time. For example, an Educational Partner may choose to turn off the e-mail tool for a specific course, or group of courses, by using a specific role. Course access levels, branding requirements and reporting needs will vary within one institution; therefore, the system supports flexible, customizable course and program structures. eCollege allows institutions to create roles and rights to be assigned to each user when accessing different courses, to have separate branding for separate entities within an institution, and to organize reports based on the various entities and sub-entities within the hierarchy. Benefits include consistency with an institution’s on-campus structure and flexibility around the node structure. Access for roles is granted and restricted as each user is assigned rights in a specific node. Discuss |
| Registration Integration |
Discuss |
| Hosted Services |
As a true .asp outsource solution, every user is on the latest version of eCollege. Customers never have to upgrade to newer versions as all upgrades are made available to everyone automatically. Discuss |
| Course Delivery Tools | |
| Test Types |
Discuss |
| Automated Testing Management |
Discuss |
| Automated Testing Support |
Test analysis data includes mean, median, mode, range, SIQR, Standard Deviation, Difficulty (P Value), as well as both exam and question level statistics. Discuss |
| Online Marking Tools |
Discuss |
| Online Gradebook |
The Gradebook supports point based assessment and weighting. All course tools associate with the gradebook allowing the instructor to see only the student's work they are interested in at the time. Discuss |
| Course Management |
Learning Path is a course activity management application that gives faculty the ability to guide their students progressively forward on the appropriate learning path, based on their performance in relation to defined goals. Discuss |
| Student Tracking |
Discuss |
| Content Development Tools | |
| Accessibility Compliance |
Discuss |
| Content Sharing/Reuse |
Discuss |
| Course Templates |
Discuss |
| Customized Look and Feel |
The institution sets the rights for the look and feel elements. Discuss |
| Instructional Design Tools |
Discuss |
| Instructional Standards Compliance |
SCORM 1.2 ADL Certified Discuss |
| Hardware/Software | |
| Client Browser Required |
Reviewer Comments Standard browsers are acceptable including Firefox, Safari and IE. Discuss |
| Database Requirements |
Discuss |
| UNIX Server |
Discuss |
| Windows Server |
Discuss |
| Company Details/Licensing | |
| Company Profile |
Reviewer Comments Pearson Learning Solutions features a rich set of learning tools, resources, and support services for educators worldwide. Our learning platform has driven the building and support of sophisticated fully online, on-ground, and blended learning environments since 1996. We are backed by the world's leading education technology company, Pearson, helping to educate more than 130 million learners worldwide. We create customizable online learning systems, courses, and programs that take advantage of Pearson’s vast array of digitized and rich-media learning materials. We give students, teachers, and administrators what they need to reach new and exciting levels of academic achievement. Discuss |
| Costs / Licensing |
Reviewer Comments Pricing Pearson LearningStudio’s non-profit pricing model is based on a per student enrollment metric. Institutions pay only for what they use with no licensing fee, unlimited storage and extensive services for successful quick conversions, implementation and ongoing support for faculty, students and program administrators. Our philosophy: the more the institution grows, typically the more the individual student cost goes down. Discuss |
| Open Source |
Discuss |
| Optional Extras |
Discuss |